Cover Image: The Turn of the Key

The Turn of the Key

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Member Reviews

This is a fast paced, creepy story about a live in nanny that gets a job in the middle of nowhere in Scotland to look after 3 children. It turned into a bit of a spooky story which I did not expect as unnatural things start to happen which can't be easily explained.
I liked the format of the book which is told from the nanny's point of view in the form of letters to a lawyer as she is in prison for the murder of one of the children. This is an intriguing book with some surprising twists and you won't want to put it down until the very last page!

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It's great to be in a position to recommend much more diverse books to our young people at school. Building the senior school library as a place where students actually come and find books that they want to read as opposed to books that teachers think they ought to read is an important responsibility and one we take really seriously.
Books like this are such a positive move as they will appeal to a broader set of readers than we are usually attracting. Dealing with modern issues in a clear and captivating way with a strong narrative voice and characters that the students can relate to is critical as we move forwards. This book is both an intelligent and compelling read that will hold even the most reluctant reader's attention and keep them turning the pages long into the night. It keeps the reader on their toes and ensures that you give it your full attention too. I found myself thinking about its characters and events even when I wasn't reading it and looking forward to snatching kore time with it and I hope that my students feel the same. An accessible, gripping and engrossing read that I can't recommend highly enough. Will absolutely be buying a copy for the library and heartily recommending it to both staff and students.

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I'm so glad I got to read this book, it was great and had me hooked from the beginning! It had me feeling all sorts of emotions, scared at every bump in the night, probably not helped by the fact I read so late at night. I even enjoyed all of the reveals, they were all very cleverly done, especially at the end!

I'd definitely recommend giving this a read!

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This was an unusual format that the book was written and I’m not sure I totally disliked it. However, the plot was a little far-fetched for me and I didn’t really like the supernatural aspect in the book.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

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WANTED: Large family seeks experienced live-in nanny.

ABOUT US: We are a busy family of four children, living in a beautiful (but remote!) house in the Highlands. Mum and dad co-run the family architecture practice.

ABOUT YOU: We are seeking an experienced nanny, used to working with children of all ages, from babyhood to teens. You must be practical, unflappable and comfortable looking after children on your own. Excellent references, DBS check, first-aid certificate and clean driving licence are a must.

ABOUT THE POST: Mum and dad work mainly from home and during those periods you will have a simple 8 - 5 post, with one night a week babysitting, and weekends off. As far as possible we arrange our schedule so that one parent is always around. However, there are times when we may both need to be away (very occasionally for up to a fortnight), and when this occurs, you will be in loco parentis.

In return, we can offer a highly competitive renumeration package totalling £55,000 per annum (gross, including bonus), use of a car and eight weeks' holiday a year.

Applications to Sandra and Bill Elincourt, Heatherbrae House, Carn Bridge

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This is my third book by Ruth Ware so I know how accomplished she is at creating a creepy atmosphere...and THE TURN OF THE KEY did not disappoint. It is a dark and twisted thriller that is both compelling and haunting, pulling me from the first page and had me completely absorbed from start to finish.

Right from the beginning there is an intense sense of foreboding as the story opens with a series of letters written by Rowan Caine to a lawyer she is pleading with to take on her case as she sits in prison awaiting trial for the murder of a child. It is essentially a slow burn (which I don't normally favour) but the tension is palpable and the intensity increases with fervour as the story slowly unfolds. She tells him she is innocent and needs his assistance to help plead her case. The entire book is cleverly told in a series of letters, mostly by Rowan to the lawyer Mr Wexham, as she relates her story by providing a detailed account of her time at Heatherbrae.

Rowan Caine is 30 years old, working as a nanny in a London nursery and flatshares with her friend Rachel. She enjoys her job but is unfulfilled as she was passed over for the promotion she had been hoping for when Rachel left the nursery to travel. When she comes across an ad online seeking a nanny to live in the remote highlands of Scotland, it sounds too good to be true. The house is beautiful, the family lovely and the pay is beyond anything she could imagine. She sends off an application and is both surprised and thrilled to be offered the position.

When she arrives in Carn Bridge and the Gothic Victorian house that is Heatherbrae, Rowan hits the ground running when she learns that Sandra and Bill are leaving the following morning for a week long conference of meetings, leaving her solely in charge of Maddie (8), Ellie (5) and toddler Petra, whose age is not really mentioned but it is alluded to "the terrible twos". The fourth, 14 year old Rhiannon, is away at boarding school in Inverness and comes home at weekends.

However, what she isn't prepared for is the 250 page manifesto manual detailing the children's every routine from dawn till dusk, mealtimes and bedtime, school and play time. She has barely had time to read any of it before she is thrust into control of caring for the three children, which gets off to a rocky start. When their parents leave, Ellie is inconsolable and refuses Rowan's ministrations. Maddie is nowhere to be seen and Petra appears to take a perverse pleasure in flinging porridge and all kinds of food stuffs at her new nanny. Added to that, Rowan must also master the smart panels that control every door, every light, every bathroom and every appliance from coffee to music to heating to cooling as well as the Happy app which allows her to order groceries and monitor the children via camera. Stalkerish, much. Sandra had proudly informed her that their house was a "smart home" but Rowan couldn't help but find it more than a little creepy. She was relieved, however, to find that the utility room door at the back of the house was locked with a traditional brass key.

What Rowan doesn't know is that Heatherbrae has a haunted past. More than one child has met their fate here and it is insinuated that their ghosts, and of one such parent, haunt the hallowed halls of Heatherbrae. And then there are the nannies...several of whom have left suddenly without so much as a word, despite the job paying well.

From the first night, dark and disturbing events begin to take place. Creepy noises could be heard above Rowan's room, despite her being on the top floor. Things going missing. A disturbing drawing found in her bedside drawer with the beginnings of a letter to other nannies from the previous one. Creaking floors, secret attics, ghost stories, mysterious deaths, creepy dolls, runaway nannies. Then the state of the art technology that envelops the house suddenly takes on a life of its own and Rowan has no way of overriding it and restore calm to this creepy house.

Then Rhiannon returns home from school and, whilst she may be ready for the usual teenage angst, nothing can prepare her for the match she meets in the 14 year old.

Told entirely through a series of letters by Rowan herself (bar for the penultimate climax), THE TURN OF THE KEY is a cleverly written tale with an unreliable narrator that the reader must discern is telling the truth or not. Or has she just gone mad? That possibility is alluded to on a few occasions by 8 year old Maddie - "being alone can make you go mad". Rowan insists that she doesn't believe in ghosts but what else is there to explain the strange goings on? Or is she truly going mad? And throughout the entire book, we are left thinking "who is it that Rowan is supposed to have killed"?

There are but a handful of characters in the story. There's Rowan, of course; Jack, handyman-come-driver (who is no groundskeeper Willie); the children, Maddie, Ellie, Petra and Rhiannon; Jean McKenzie, the cleaner who comes in twice a day; and of course, Sandra and Bill Elincourt. But the greatest character of all is Heatherbrae House itself. The Gothic Victorian structure, that Sandra and Bill had gutted and rebuilt complete with state of the art technology to run their home with, is a character in its own right with an atmospheric personality all of its own.

Compelling dark and twisted, THE TURN OF THE KEY has an intense sense of foreboding that creates such an atmosphere, making it an addictive and gripping tale to read. The format was so different and yet so clever, it draws the reader in that you actually feel as if Rowan is writing to you.

THE TURN OF THE KEY has so many layers to it that unravelling all the twists and red herrings thrown in made it one completely addictive read! I can usually guess many twists buried deep within but I didn't see these ones coming! I may have had the odd suspicion but nothing prepared me for their big reveals. And that made the twists even more delicious.

I love how the story is framed within letters to a solicitor. The recounting and retelling of the tale worked so well. Ruth Ware's ability to create such an atmosphere that is so vivid and so hair-raisingly suspenseful that it had me eternally grateful that I didn't live in an entirely "smart home" that was smarter than me. Yes, I have the odd "smart" item here and there...but nothing so creepily on this scale!

Unlike many others, I loved the ending. And usually, I hate vague conclusions with no closure. But in true Ruth Ware style, it is left ambiguous for the reader to form their own opinion...but for me, the outcome was clear. Although part of me wanted more, I also felt it was a clever touch to conclude on. But then, all opinions are relative.

I was immediately immersed within this creepy atmospheric tale and I could not turn the pages quick enough. I thoroughly enjoyed THE TURN OF THE KEY and I would have to say so far, that this is my favourite Ruth Ware book!

I would like to thank #RuthWare, #NetGalley and #RandomHouseUK and #VintagePublishing for an ARC of #TheTurnOfTheKey in exchange for an honest review.

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This book, oh my goodness it was soooooo lush! The Turn of the key is such an atmospheric, dark read... I couldn't put it down. So many twists and turns and absolutely did not see the ending.

The turn of they key is one of my favourite thrillers of 2020 by far; great characters, brilliant writing and intricate plot. Ruth Ware managed in this novel to weave all the darkness wrapped with beautiful language and ingenuity. I couldn't stop thinking about this novel for a very long time after I started reading it.

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So I had only read one other Ruth Ware book before delving into this, her previous psychological thriller , The Death of Mrs Westaway, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Going into this book I had an inkling of what I might find and was really looking forward to it. What I found was a book that was permeated with slowly growing unease, unexplained chills and a narrator who was somewhere between likeable and unreliable and I am still not entirely sure which side of the fence I am on with regards to that one.

The book is told from the perspective of Rowan, the main protagonist of the tale, who is on remand, accused of the murder of a young girl. What we do not know at this stage are the whats, whys and wherefores and this is the crux of the novel, as she tries to engage with a Barrister to work on her behalf, explaining to him the full details of what happened that fateful summer and how one of the children entrusted to her in her role as live in Nanny met such a tragic end. The author has done a brilliant job of creating that urgent, pleading and yet conversational tone of someone who really doesn't understand how to put her feelings across. It brought me on side as a reader/listener very quickly and kept me engaged in the story, it also worked perfectly as a narrative style for the audio book. It's one of those where I wonder if I would have been so absorbed if I had been reading the text rather than listening to it. The narrator in this case, Imogen Church, certainly did a fantastic job of making Rowan's anxiety and fear palpable and her frustrations and secrecy feel very authentic.

There was something really skin crawling about this book at times. Possibly the remote HIghland setting, the close community of the small town where everyone knows everyone's business. Certainly the house itself, some strange hybrid of the old and the new sets the nerves on edge. That whole idea of the traditional old house with it's creaking stairs and draughts is starkly contrasted against all the overbearing technology that the family has installed - cameras, smart devices, hidden control panels for the appliances. Even the curtains open and close on demand. The author made it almost feel as though each design was an affront to the house, never mind Rowan. Each aspect of the house is designed and describer to add to the atmosphere of the novel, an unusual kind of gothic mansion with cyber control overtones that would just freak me out if I had to live there, although the idea of waking up to a view of the Cairngorms everyday, and the relative isolation does appeal. But this is a house with a dark history, very dark. So how much does that play into the events that occur? Well - read or listen to find out.

And there there are the characters. Rowan is a strong young woman and yet very flawed. It is clear from early on that she is keeping secrets, ones that are slowly revealed to the reader. And yet she is likeable and ultimately I did want to see her come good. There was something about her, something that made me believe in her innocence very quickly, possibly the unsettling nature of the house, or even the absentee parents who were more engaged in business than being home. The children themselves bore all the hallmarks of children who just wanted to be loved, just wanted attention, and yet they also had the ability to creep you out, especially Maddie, a quiet and obstinate child who resists every attempt of Rowan to engage with her.

I'll admit that at times this book put me in mind of the film, The Skeleton Key, and that almost dictated the way in which I expected the story to go. It certainly held many mysteries and was high ins suspense and chilling undertones. All the essential ingredients for a classic gothic suspense, and it worked really well. I can't deny that I called some of the key revelations very early on in the story and yet there were still many more surprises to come leading to a very satisfying and smile worthy ending. Smile in the 'nice touch' sense rather than 'they all lived happily ever after' kind of way. Definitely recommended for fans of the author and I'd certainly recommend the audiobook version as the narrator is great.

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The turn of the key is a spooky thriller that kept me guessing until the very end. When Rowan is appointed as a nanny in a remote Scottish house, it seems to be the perfect job. The wealthy family have transformed the old house into a state of the art home complete with an app that controls every aspect of their lives. Rowan is soon left alone with the young children while the parents are required to work away from home. As strange things begin to happen, Rowan’s secrets are revealed and a tragedy occurs.
The book is written from Rowan’s point of view, through a series of letters to a lawyer while she is held in prison on remand. I was desperate to know how the crime had occurred, and could not fathom out a reasonable explanation for the supernatural elements of the story. A great read that I would highly recommend.

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I was expecting much more from The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware. The premise was interesting and intriguing and it being written in the form of letters caught my attention even more.
The book is very atmospheric and with plenty of well-written and tense build-up moments, which I loved. Unfortunately, those moments never led anywhere and the tension deteriorates at its peak.
I spent 80% of the book waiting for something relevant to happen. When I reached that mark, everything happened all at once, with no time for you to process the given information. It felt like the book was supposed to be longer, but at the last minute it was altered and cut shorter, and the author forgot to change the rest of the story accordingly.
Another thing that bothered me was the fact that you have no idea what happened to the protagonist and what was the reaction of the children's parents when they found out the truth.
Overall, I want to read more Ruth Ware books because I really enjoyed this one's creepy atmosphere. She has potencial to write a better ending and I can't wait to experience that.

Random House UK gifted me a digital copy of The Turn of the Key in exchange for an honest review.

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Rowen gets a new job looking after a family in a large house, but from her first night there, unexplained events take place while the children are openly hostile. Accused of murder, did Rowen kill someone?

This was quite a tense creepy book. I did not know what Rowen’s secret was until it was revealed near the end, I also did not know what happened to the child who died and usually I have guessed before it is unveiled. I would definitely recommend this book.

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Ruth Ware does it again! She is a master of the suspense novel, slowly building tension and keeping you guessing until the very end with twist after twist after twist. The story is told through letters to her lawyer from incarcerated nanny, Rowan. Looking for a job, Rowan stumbles across a nanny gig in the isolating Scotland countryside that is just too good to pass up. Using false information, Rowan easily earns the job and moves in immediately to a unique old mansion updated into a "digital smart home." Rowan, feeling that she has hit the jackpot but anxious about her real identity being revealed, soon realizes that she is not the only one carrying around secrets. When a murder occurs on the property and Rowan is thrown in jail, she must convince her lawyer that though she may be guilty of many things, she is NOT guilty of murder. So if she isn't... who is? Full of menace and lies, there is no way of guessing the ending of this spine-tingling psychological thriller set in the isolating Scottish countryside.

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I’m a big Ruth Ware fan so was excited to read this book of hers. As with them all, this book hooks you in instantly! I read this in a couple of days (which isn’t bad going with a 4 month old baby and two boys at home!) so it definitely grabbed my attention.

Rowan take up a new position as a nanny to a family in Scotland. What starts of quite pleasant, soon turns creepy and Rowan isn’t entirely sure what is going on in the house.

I loved how Ruth used Rowan’s voice as the narrative and told the story through letters to her lawyer. The book is creepy and suspenseful; one of those books that makes you want to stay up all night reading and then you wish you hadn’t as you hear every noise and creak in your house!

Lots of twists and turns throughout the book, some that took me by surprise and couldn’t have predicted! Everything you could want in a thriller. The only let down for me was the ending. It felt very sudden and almost flat compared to the rest of the book. Even still, I would thoroughly recommend this to anyone!

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I don't know; there are so many books where the heroine finds herself in dangerous situations and is so full of self-doubt that instead of running away, delves deeper and makes matters worse for herself.

Ruth Ware is undoubtedly a good writer and story-teller but she seemed to have populated this book with a cast of cliches - the brooding handyman, the tight-lipped housekeeper, the flaky mother the even flakier heroine etc. That said it was quite gripping although I had sort of guessed what would happen. I did think that the smart house concept was a bit obvious and just a bit too convenient as a plot device.

Nonetheless I enjoyed the read and want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of the book.

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Ruth Ware is quickly becoming one of my go to authors. I have loved everything she has written and this is no exception. I'm hesitant to go into details of the plot in case I inadertently spoil anything however once again she has delivered a perfect head scratching mystery.

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Thanks to Random House UK, Vintage Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
#TheTurnOfTheKey #NetGalley

Ruth Ware just keeps getting better and better. Well, what can I say? There are not enough superlatives in the English language to do justice to Ware's wonderfully addictive and imaginative novels. 'The Turn of the Key' is without doubt one of the best books I have read this year. I suspect that in the waning days of 2020, it will be at the top of the pile as my read of the year, bar none. The 'hook' of this novel is irresistible; contextualising the old adage that if it looks too good to be true, it probably is. This is certainly the case for Rowan, who applies for a live-in nanny position in the remote Scottish Highlands. The salary is generous - perhaps too generous, and the perks... car, holidays... well, they really are too good to be true. There is logic to such generosity, however, and that lies in the fact that no nanny has stayed in the employ of the Elincourt family for long.... Indeed, there is something unnatural about the Elincourt family home. Or more accurately, supernatural, with its rumoured ghosts and ghoulies and proverbial things that go bump in the night. This does not put Rowan off from taking up the post, but she soon begins to regret her decision when things start going wrong. Very wrong, indeed. The rest? Well, here we enter the pernicious realm of spoilers. Suffice to say what unfolds is stunningly imaginative, fiendishly clever, creepy, tense and suspenseful, in equal measure. 'The Turn of the Key' is Ruth Ware at her best. Then again, I cannot remember a time when Ruth Ware has not been at her most brilliant best. So, read this. Read this now. You really won't regret it.

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I couldn't put this down and devoured it in just a couple of days. Suitably creepy which I loved, the backdrop of the house and its history was dark and ominous. The ultimate outcome was both shocking and heart breaking in equal measure. A solid thriller! Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read a free copy in return for an honest review.

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This has all of the hallmarks of a typical psychological thriller. The prose is serviceable - not beautifully constructed sentences but getting a reader from point a to point b.

I'm rating highly (this is probably a 3.5 but giving the extra half star) because out of the twists, I guessed one, but not the other two.

There were enough red herrings to keep this interesting. I do wish that there had been a little more finesse in the scary happenings - they didn't quite make it hit home as terrifying.

I also wish there could be more of a dual understanding at the end like some other novels rather than it being explained neatly.

I also thought the protagonist interesting but was expecting something a bit more shocking in her past.

I think I hoped for a bit more of a prose stylist but I would read more Ruth Ware in the future. My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

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I have been really looking forward to this book. I love the fact it is written as a series of letters. As much as I wanted to love it - I couldn’t, I love a thriller but the supernatural aspect of it put me off and I couldn’t get involved in the story. However it was a good read anyway and I would recommend it to people who love a bit of supernatural added to their thrillers.

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This is another great instalment from Ruth Ware. She really can hold suspense and keep the reader hooked right up until the very end. This is a dark mystery, it's eerie and very very creepy, The setting is wonderful, in the highlands in Scotland. The house is old but has been totally modernised with state of the art technology to become a smart home. Rowan the lead protagonist is thrilled when she is offered a job that seems too good to be true, as nanny to four children in Scotland. The pay is excellent but the work load is heavy as the parents, Bill and Sandra, both architects work away from home a lot. Something is amiss however as many nannies before her have abruptly vacated their positions. Rowan the nanny gives her version of the tale in a series of letters to the solicitor Mr Wrexham proclaiming her innocence and giving her account of all the strange and unusual events that happened at Heatherbrae House, the home in which she was employed, that led to the death of a child and her subsequent imprisonment. She isn't particularly endearing as a character and even admits in the letters to some of her short comings as a nanny, Ruth Ware does evil and twisted very well and succeeds here in telling a very twisted tale. It was an easy thriller to become immersed in, it kept me guessing and I enjoyed it a lot. 4 stars from me!!!

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Excellent!

This has genuinely scary parts, lots of mystery, suspense and an excellent ending. Well worth a read for any thriller fans.

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